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City man held on $25G bail on child-rape charges

By Lisa Redmond, lredmond@lowellsun.com

Posted:
08/06/2014 07:01:36 PM EDT

LOWELL -- A former cook with the state Department of Youth Services is accused of repeatedly raping his children's teenage baby sitter last summer, and forcing her to take the morning-after pill to prevent getting pregnant with his child, prosecutors allege.

In Lowell District Court Wednesday, Timothy Casbohm, 40, of Lowell, was ordered held on $25,000 cash bail after pleading not guilty to six counts of aggravated statutory rape of a child and one count of posing a child in a state of nudity for alleged sexual assaults against a then 15-year-old girl from April to July of 2013.

In seeking the cash bail, prosecutor Anne Paruti said the alleged victim baby-sat Casbohm's three young children during the day and sometimes overnight, based on the schedules of Casbohm and his wife.

Paruti alleges the sexual assaults would occur when the suspect's wife was working, but his three children were home. As the sexual assaults continued, the victim told police Casbohm had her take the morning-after pill and other methods to prevent pregnancy, Paruti alleges. The alleged victim was 15 when the sexual assaults began and turned 16 that summer, Paruti said.

The victim alleges Casbohm also used his cellphone to videotape some of the sexual encounters. During Casbohm's arrest Tuesday, police executed a search warrant and seized his phone, Paruti said.

Paruti alleges there were nude images on the phone, but none of the alleged sexual encounters. Police are continuing to investigate, she said.

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The victim told police that Casbohm's wife confronted her about having sex with Timothy Casbohm, but the victim denied it, Paruti said.

The victim alleges that when Casbohm drove her home, he would tell her not to tell anyone or he would "get in trouble,'' Paruti said. As a way to keep her quiet and intimidate her, Casbohm allegedly told the victim he had been a drug dealer and killed a man before moving to Massachusetts, Paruti alleges.

Paruti explained that the victim, now 17 and living out of state, divulged the alleged rapes to a trusted adult during a recent "church-type situation.''

But defense attorney Lindsay Kantor said the alleged victim made these allegations during a "group share'' at camp, a year after the alleged incidents. Other than the alleged victim's allegations, Kantor said there is no other evidence to substantiate the allegations.

Casbohm has no criminal record in Massachusetts. He worked at a small DYS facility as a cook, but has been administratively suspended and won't be returning. The facility was small, but its location was not divulged in court and the case was impounded.

Judge Michael Uhlarik said he set a high cash bail because a conviction on these charges carries a minimum mandatory 10-year prison sentence, an incentive to flee.

If Casbohm should post bail, Uhlarik added conditions that Casbohm is to have no contact with the alleged victim or her family and not work or volunteer with children under 16 except his own children. If Casbohm raises bail, he is also to wear a GPS-monitoring device, the judge said.

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